19th Century lithographs of Egypt

"David Roberts was born is Scotland in 1796. After moving to London, he achieved a respectable reputation as an artist prior to 1838 when he traveled to Egypt and the Holy Land to paint the monuments, architecture and people. Upon his return to England, his works were published (in conjunction with the lithographer Louis Haghe) in a six volume set, in which all 248 lithographs were hand colored. The first three volumes depicted Egypt and Nubia; the second three, the Holy Land. The set, which was sold by subscription, was an immediate success. Roberts was admitted to the Royal Academy and he continued to travel and paint until his death in 1864."

"After more than 150 years his paintings are still the most beloved and popular illustrations of Egypt and are highly sought after by collectors."

There are some nice paintings here. Some of them depict familiar ancient Egyptian monuments as they were when they were still partially buried by sand. The site has plenty of paintings, but only a tiny handful of photographs. Still, the photos are nice too.

The Great Depression

"The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world."

This is just a basic overview, good for young students just learning about it, or anyone with a casual interest.

It's got an art page that contains a few pieces that were created before and after the depression, but they carry the same theme and "feel" as those done during the era. I liked them, as well as the photos.

My mother was a teenager during that time, and I grew up hearing stories about those times from her. The experience made her a "pack-rat" like so many others who came through that time. "You never know when it might come in handy", was the motto I heard most from her and others who lived through it, and if you, your parents or grandparents lived through it, then chances are, you, or someone close to you, is a "pack-rat" too, just like me. Because of my mother, it's almost painful for me to get throw out anything that could still be used for something. You never know when it might come in handy.

World War One Color Photos

"World War I.... who would have thought there were original color photos of WWI? This site contains hundreds of photos taken by the French in the last two years of World War One."

"Although color photography was around prior to 1903, the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, patented the process in 1903 and developed the first color film in 1907. The French army was the primary source of color photos during the course of World War One."

They aren't kidding about "hundreds of photos", I spent so much time trying to decide on a good picture to blog that I finally had to just close my eyes and pick one.

I haven't seen all of them (full sized), but there doesn't look to be any blood and gore pictures. That probably wouldn't have been in line with the propaganda of the day. I'm sure you can imagine what damage could be done to the war effort if the public ever got hold of photos of their dead soldiers lying in the mud.

The Founders' Constitution

"Hailed as "the Oxford English Dictionary of American constitutional history," the print edition of The Founders' Constitution has proved since its publication in 1986 to be an invaluable aid to all those seeking a deeper understanding of one of our nation's most important legal documents."

"In this unique anthology, Philip B. Kurland and Ralph Lerner draw on the writings of a wide array of people engaged in the problem of making popular government safe, steady, and accountable. The documents included range from the early seventeenth century to the 1830s, from the reflections of philosophers to popular pamphlets, from public debates in ratifying conventions to the private correspondence of the leading political actors of the day."

Anyone interested in the history of the founding of the United States will find this site useful. Along with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, you'll get to read the thoughts behind them, from the people who created them.

More 1906 San Francisco Disaster Pictures

I know I previously posted a site about the 1906 SF earthquake, but I just run into this one with tons more. After you check out these photos, be sure to hit that drop-down menu for more of San Franciscos' history.

Toms' Wacky Packages Page

Remember these cards? I collected them back in the '60s, and they fit right in with my love of Mad Magazine at the time. I know I still have a few of these cards stashed in my attic somewhere, and by now they should be valuable enough for me to retire in the lap of luxury......or at least elicit a few curious stares as I attempt to pawn them off for a few cans of soup in the not too distant future.

As nice a this little site is, I must point you to another with even more pics. Toms' page does give the link, but you may not notice it, so I've brought it out here: Wacky Packages Art Archive. And don't stop there either, as that page has a few links to other sites as well.